MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy donated 2,000 tablets to the Department of Education (DepEd) in support of Filipino students in need of gadgets for their online classes during the pandemic.
Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian said that the donation is “intended to help Filipino students overcome difficulties and to get better access to distance learning resources amid the pandemic.”
“The Chinese Embassy will continue to support the education endeavor of the Philippines to the best of its ability, and further implement the Chinese Government Scholarship and Chinese Ambassador Scholarship projects,” the statement on Tuesday read.
Huang met with DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, along with Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Chief of Presidential Protocol Robert Eric Borje and DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno in Malacañang for the turnover of the donations.
Meanwhile, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones expressed appreciation for the donation, saying that the donation showcases the “long-term valued friendship between China and the Philippines” and “is a great support for the implementation of the blended distance learning modality” in the country amid the Pandemic.
According to Briones, the tablets will be donated to DepEd’s Last Mile Schools, or schools located in geographically isolated, disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas.
Previously, the Chinese embassy also donated medical supplies to the Philippines including 150 sets of high-flow humidifiers, 130 ventilators, 252,000 test kits, and over 1.8 million pieces of personal protective equipment.
Its consulates also donated more than 40,000 relief goods to Filipinos across the country and more than 20 million pesos worth of relief materials to areas affected by the Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses. — Zac Sarao, Trainee